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Moles, voles, and other holes

Moles vs Voles	Can you prevent voles?
Lawn has bumps or spongy areas	More information on voles
Mole control is impractical	Other hole makers
Mole control that does NOT work	The bottom line
Symptoms of vole activity and control

MOLES VS VOLES

Moles and voles are burrowing mammals. 

Moles (picture) feed on grubs, worms and other soil insects. 

• Moles can cause raised bumps and/or spongy areas in turf or other vegetation.

• have the large snout that people are most familiar with. 

• do NOT create holes that open to the surface. However, voles can travel in mole tunnels and then voles can make holes at the surface.

Voles (picture) are vegetarians and feed on bulbs, roots, and  the bark at the base of young trees or shrubs.

• closely related to mice and look like mice with tiny eyes. 

• There are two types of voles 

  • Pine voles burrow beneath the ground and have holes about 1 to 3 inches in diameter. They generally stay in one local area, even around one tree. Pine voles only damage plant parts beneath the ground.  

  • Meadow voles live and nest above ground.  They do not create holes or tunnels and are not confined to one area. They only damage plant parts above ground. 

MY LAWN HAS  BUMPS, AND/OR SOGGY AREAS

• Yes, those are moles. Our first recommendation is to do nothing! 

• Moles do not kill turf. Moles eat soil insects, including grubs.  Grubs kill turf roots, not moles. 

• The raised ridges do, however, present a problem to mowing because the blade can cut into the raised turf. 

• We recommend that only thing you should do for moles is to pad the turf back down. To pad the grass down, use the roll bar on your mower before you cut the grass.

MOLE CONTROL IS IMPRACTICAL

• Again moles do not injure the turf they raise it. 

• Moles provide some benefit by eating grubs and aerating the lawn. 

• Moles are almost impossible to remove. Moles can dig 15 feet per hour.

• The only real option is trapping. Spring-loaded traps can be set over the ridges. However, you'll need about 1 trap per 10 square feet. You'll need to flag the lawn and monitor when the flags are pushed up so you can put traps in the hot spots. You'll basically need to learn trapping, and this is a tedious process most people don't have time for.  Wildlife Damage Control Agent can do this for you. These services are expensive and are usually not guaranteed.

MOLE CONTROL THAT DOESN'T WORK

• No repellents or poisons have been found effective. 

• Killing their food source (grubs) has not been found to be effective.  

• The following methods have NOT been found to be effective either: moth balls (flakes or liquid), gummy bears (candy put in the holes), sonar or noise or high- pitched frequency devices , human or animal hair, castor oil products (has not shown success in NC), and lime or sulfur.

SYMPTOMS OF VOLES AND HOW TO CONTROL THEM 

• Voles are extremely difficult for the home-owner to remove.

• Voles eat bulbs, roots and feed at the base of small tree trunks and shrubs. If plants are eaten in the ground or at the base, you probably have voles. 

• Holes will often be near feeding damage. If you do not find holes, check beneath stones, logs or debris near feeding damage. 

• One way to test for voles is it put an apple slice beneath a container with a weight on top of the container. If the apple slice disappears OR if it has tiny gnaw marks, you have voles.

• There are two ways to control voles. 

• You can put a standard mouse trap in the their hole. Place cardboard or paper in the trap to hold the spring--you don't need to put food in the trap. Make sure the voles are still in the area by using the apple slice method above. Put a container over the trap and a weight on the container so that animals and people do not step in the trap.

• The other method is put a rat poison such as Rozol in the holes. Follow label directions. Place about one tablespoon  in each hole. Repeat every 20 days. Cover each hole with a container and a weight over the container so that animals and people are not injured. Do not place any poison above ground because other animals can be injured. Animals that eat a poisoned vole will not be injured.

CAN YOU PREVENT VOLES ?

• NO. There are no effective repellents against voles. 

• Wire mesh can be placed around tree and shrub trunks if voles are found damaging plants. Mesh should be on the lower 8 inches of the trunk. Check the mesh several times a year to make sure it does not damage the trunk as the plant grows. If signs of the vole disappear, remove the wire mesh.

• Mulch is beneficial for plants by reducing weeds and moderating heat and water loss.   However, when voles are present it may be beneficial to remove any mulch and weeds.   This will discourage voles because they have no mulch or weeds to hide in.

• There has been mention of placing rock particles in the soil before you plant. However, there is no evidence to prove this is effective. Also, meadow voles travel above ground so a soil barrier is ineffective

MORE INFORMATION ON VOLES
Follow this link for more information on VOLES, especially trapping.

OTHER CRITTERS THAT MAKE HOLES IN THE GROUND

• Moles. Meat eaters. No holes come to the surface. They create raised ridges and/or mushy areas, especially in turf.

• Voles. Vegetarians. Pine voles. They tunnel and nest beneath the surface. Holes are 1 inch  in diameter with little or no soil spilled around the hole. Symptoms of feeding take place beneath the ground, never above the ground. Meadow voles. Live and nest above the ground. No holes created. Symptoms of feeding take place only above ground--bottom  two to three inches of a trunk.

• Crayfish Make holes one half  to 3  inches in diameter. A small pile (chimney) of soil is often found near the entrance. Usually near standing water, but even though the home-owner may have no standing water areas nearby, they still may have crayfish. No practical control. Create natural area. Deep tilling of the soil may disrupt and deter them.
  
• Raccoons, skunks, and other animals 2 to 4  inch diameter hole with soil scattered near opening. They are feeding on grubs, worms, and other soil insects, mostly active in spring and fall. There is no practice control other than controlling grubs (see Mole section) and even if the grubs are killed there's plenty of worms.
  
• Rabbits and Snakes They do not create burrows into the ground. They could live in an existing hole.
  
• INSECTS
  
• Cicadas Cicadas can be an annual or periodic pest.  Annual cicadas emerge from the soil making a small chimney pile--similar to crayfish. They climb to a tree, insert eggs, and die. Periodic cicadas do the same except on 13 or 17 year cycles.
  
• Cicada killer wasp Usually in late summer. Large solitary wasps make holes in yard. They feed on cicadas. Control is not practical, but Sevin dust into the hole can be tried. They are not aggressive like other stinging insects.
  

• Solitary bees 1/2 inch diameter holes. Sometimes they create many holes in the ground. Not aggressive. Beneficial pollinator, no need to control.
  

• Yellow jackets Aggressive and will sting when animals or people come near nest. You can wait until freezing weather (December) when the nest will be killed by cold and they will not return to the nest.  

  • To kill them, you cant try mixing liquid soap in water and pour down the hole at dusk.  Be careful when you pour, they will come out angry.
    

  • You can also place Sevin dust at the entrance or wettable powder or liquid Sevin can be mixed with water and poured down the hole at dusk  Do not use gas or oil.   It's illegal.

THE  BOTTOM LINE ?

• Attempts to control wildlife are frustrating and unproductive. It is best to identify and understand the problem and then start asking yourself questions: how much damage can I live with ? , how much time or money do I want to spend on the problem ? and can I switch to different types of vegetation ? i.e. less grass.

LITERATURE CITED
Betsill, Carl. 1999. Personal Communication. Section Manager. NC Wildlife Resource Commission. Raleigh, NC.
Bromley, Peter. 1999. Personal Communication.  Wildlife Extension Specialist, NC State University.  Raleigh, NC.
Bromley, Peter et al. 1994. Voles in Horticulture Plantings. NC State University. Raleigh, NC.
Bromley, Peter et al. 1994. NC Wildlife Damage Control Manual. NC State University. Raleigh, NC.
Knight, Ken. 1999. Personal Communication. Wildlife Biologist. NC Wildlife Resource Commission. Albemarle, NC.
Larson, Gary  et al. 1994. Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage. USDA and University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension.

Recommendations for the use of chemicals are included in this publication as a convenience to the reader. The use of brand names and any mention or listing of commercial products or services in this publication does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned. Individuals who use chemicals are responsible for ensuring that the intended use complies with current regulations and conforms to the product label. Be sure to obtain current information about usage and examine a current product label before applying any chemical. For assistance, contact your county North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service agent.